Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator is provided. A refrigerator may include a storage space to store food or other items therein, a plurality of shelf brackets mounted to or at a rear portion of the storage space, a plurality of securing recesses arranged in a vertical direction at the plurality of shelf brackets, a plurality of plates provided in the storage space and arranged adjacent to each other on a same plane to receive food or other items loaded thereon, a plurality of shelf support frames provided at bottom surfaces of the plurality of plates, and hooks provided at the plurality of shelf support frames and configured to be engaged with the plurality of securing recesses. Food or other items loaded onto one of the plurality of plates may be easily slid onto the other plate arranged on the same plane.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0014848, filed in Korea on Feb. 10, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

A refrigerator is disclosed herein.

2. Background

In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus that keeps food or other items frozen or cooled by cooling storage compartments with cool air generated by a cooling cycle that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. Such a refrigerator may typically include a freezer compartment to keep food, drink, or other items frozen, and a refrigerator compartment to keep food, drink, or other items cooled. A kimchi refrigerator to keep kimchi or vegetables fresh is also a kind of refrigerator.

According to a structure of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, a refrigerator may be classified into a general type refrigerator, in which a freezer compartment is disposed above a refrigerator compartment, and a side-by-side type refrigerator, in which a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment are partitioned at left and right sides. In addition, a bottom freezer type refrigerator, which is widely used in the U.S. and Europe in recent years, has a structure such that a refrigerator compartment having a larger capacity than a freezer compartment is disposed above the freezer compartment.

In order to make better use of space, that is, to efficiently store food or food containers of various sizes, a refrigerator may typically include a plurality of shelves in a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment to partition the storage space of each compartment in a vertical direction. The plurality of shelves may be mounted movably up and down in the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment so as to change the storage space to suit food of various sizes loaded therein. For this, the plurality of shelves may be slidably mounted to a plurality of support ribs provided at left and right sides of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, or may be coupled to a plurality of shelf brackets having a plurality of holes arranged in a vertical direction.

Each shelf may be formed in a quadrilateral plate shape having a flat top surface, on which items, such as food, may be placed. The plate may be surrounded by a frame having a predetermined thickness in order to prevent injury to a user by a sharp edge of the plate or damage by collision between a food container and the plate.

However, the conventional shelf structure is inconvenient in use because when a user takes out or moves food or a food container onto another adjacent plate, he or she must lift the food or the food container over the frame protruding from the plate by a predetermined thickness in order to avoid interference with the frame. Further, if food or a food container is placed on the frame protruding from the plate, the food or the food container may be tilted by a height of the frame, and thus, storage stability may be deteriorated. As such, a user should only put food or a food container on a plate region, which decreases efficiency in space utilization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plurality of shelves are mounted to a plurality of shelf brackets according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a process of assembling the plurality of shelves to the plurality of shelf brackets according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the plurality of shelves according to an embodiment, as seen from below;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the plurality of shelves according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a conceptual view illustrating an operational effect of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described in the specification and shown in the drawings are illustrative only and are not intended to represent all aspects. Wherever possible, the same or like reference numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts, and repetitive disclosure has been omitted. In the drawings, component's sizes and shapes are exaggerated for clarity and convenience.

Hereinafter, components of a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom freezer type refrigerator including a plurality of shelves according to an embodiment. A refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment may include a main body 10 including one or more storage space 20 formed therein, and a plurality of shelves 100 mounted in the storage space 20 and configured to be adjusted in mounting height.

The refrigerator 1 illustrated in the drawings is a bottom freezer type refrigerator, in which a refrigerator compartment 30 is disposed above a freezer compartment 40. However, embodiments may also be applied to other types of refrigerators in which the plurality of shelves 100 may be mounted in the storage space 20 of the refrigerator compartment 30 or the freezer compartment 40. The other types of refrigerators may include a side-by-side type refrigerator, in which the freezer compartment 40 and the refrigerator compartment 30 are partitioned at left and right or first, and second lateral sides, and a top mounting type refrigerator, in which the freezer compartment 40 is disposed above the refrigerator compartment 30. In addition, embodiments may also be applied to a refrigerator that has only either the refrigerator compartment 30 or the freezer compartment 40 if the plurality of shelves 100 can be mounted in a storage space of the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment.

For convenience of explanation, embodiments will be explained with reference to a bottom freezer type refrigerator.

The refrigerator 1 has a structure such that the refrigerator compartment 30 is disposed above the freezer compartment 40. In general, in order to keep food fresh, the freezer compartment 40 may be maintained at a temperature below zero, and the refrigerator compartment 30 may be maintained at a higher temperature than the freezer compartment 40. The main body 10 may define an appearance of the refrigerator 1 and protect mechanical devices (not shown) contained therein from the outside.

The refrigerator 1 may further include a pair of refrigerator compartment doors 50, and a pair of freezer compartment doors 60 swingably mounted to the main body 10, in order to open and close, respectively, the refrigerator compartment 30 provided at an upper region of the main body 10 and the freezer compartment 40 provided at a lower region of the main body 10.

The storage space 20 to store food or other items therein may be formed in the main body 10. In order to increase storage efficiency, the plurality of shelves 100, on which food or a food container may be loaded may be mounted in the storage space 20 of the freezer compartment 40 or the refrigerator compartment 30. A drawer type storage space 70 may be formed below the shelves 100.

Hereinafter, the plurality of shelves according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the plurality of shelves are mounted to a plurality of shelf brackets according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a process of assembling the plurality of shelves to the plurality of shelf brackets according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the plurality of shelves according to an embodiment, as seen from below. FIG. 5 is a top view of the plurality of shelves according to an embodiment.

In order to make better use of the storage space 20 to store food of various sizes, the shelves 100 may be mounted so as to be movable in an up and down or vertical direction in the storage space 20. To achieve this, a plurality of shelf brackets 80, to and from which the plurality of shelves 100 may be mounted and demounted, may be provided at a rear portion of the storage space 20. Each of the plurality of shelf brackets 80 may include a slit 82, and a plurality of securing recesses 84 formed at the slit 82 and arranged in a vertical direction. The plurality of shelves 100 may be attached to the plurality of shelf brackets 80, in such a manner that the plurality of shelves 100 may be moved along the slits 82 and secured to respective ones of the plurality of securing recesses 84.

In order to support the plurality of shelves 100 horizontally, a pair of shelf brackets 80 may be symmetrically provided at a same mounting height on a rear surface of the storage space 20. As shown in FIG. 2, in a case in which two adjacent shelves 100 are arranged horizontally, a pair of shelf brackets 80 structured as above may be provided at positions corresponding to distal ends of the two adjacent shelves 100. Further, an additional shelf bracket 80, which has the slit 82 and the plurality of securing recesses 84 formed at both sides of the slit 82, may be provided at a position corresponding to a contact portion between the two adjacent shelves 100.

The plurality of shelves 100 may each be a flat quadrilateral plate 110 having a predetermined thickness, on which food or a food container may be loaded. The plate 110 may have various shapes for convenience in use and may be made of a material, such as plastic, or glass, for example. The plate 110 may be made of tempered glass, which is lightweight and has a relatively high strength, for example.

As a user may be injured by touching an edge of the plate 110 when he or she places or removes food or a food container in or from the storage space 20, a post-treatment, such as filleting, or chamfering, for example, may be performed to dull the edge of the plate 110 for safety. In order to prevent food or a food container from falling off the plate 110, an antiskid treatment may be performed on a top surface of the plate 110.

Further, when a user places or removes a food container in or from the storage space 20, the plate 110 may be damaged by a large impact due to a collision between the food container and a front surface of the plate 110. In order to prevent this problem, each shelf 100 may further include a front cover 130 to cover a front surface of the plate 110, thereby preventing direct impact to the plate 110. In addition to protecting the plate 110 from external impact, the front cover 130 may function to prevent food or a food container loaded on the plate 110 from falling off of the storage space 20.

The front cover 130 may be formed to have a U-shaped section so as to cover a whole area of the front surface of the plate 110, and a portion of a top surface and a bottom surface of the plate 110. That is, the front cover 130 may protrude from the top and bottom surfaces of the plate 110 by a predetermined thickness.

The front cover 130 may be made of a metal or plastic material. The front cover 130 may be manufactured by, for example, an extrusion molding process in order to achieve relatively thin and long features.

The front cover 130 may be coupled to the plate 110 using one or more coupling methods, such as a tight fit method, a screw engagement method, or an adhesion method, for example. For example, a combination of a screw engagement method and an adhesion method selected from hot melt adhesion, UV adhesion, and adhesive tape adhesion may be used.

Each shelf 100 may further include a plurality of shelf support frames 120 provided at the bottom surface of the plate 110. Each of the shelf support frames 120 may have a plurality of hooks 122 configured to be engaged with the plurality of securing recesses 84 of the slit 82.

The plurality of shelf support frames 120 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the slits 82 of the plurality of shelf brackets 80, and may be symmetrically arranged at the bottom surface of left and right or lateral ends of the plate 110. The plurality of shelf support frames 120 may function to support the bottom surface of the plate 110, and may be spaced a predetermined distance apart from the front end of the plate 110. In a case in which a plurality of plates 110 are arranged in a vertical direction in the storage space 20, such a shelf support frame structure may increase efficiency in space utilization by minimizing interference between the shelf support frames 120 of an upper plate and food or a food container loaded on a lower plate.

The plurality of shelf support frames 120 may be formed to have a shape and a material capable of enduring a weight of items loaded on the plate 110. For this, the plurality of shelf support frames 120 may have ribs formed at a side surface thereof to reinforce strength. The plurality of shelf support frames 120 may be made of a metal material, such as steel, stainless steel (SUS), or aluminum, for example.

The plurality of hooks 122 formed at a rear surface of each of the shelf support frame 120 may each be formed to have a shape corresponding to the slit 82 and the plurality of securing recesses 84 and have a strength capable of enduring a weight of items loaded on the plate 110 after coupling to the shelf bracket 80. In order to easily secure the plurality of shelf support frames 120 to the plate 110, the plate 110 may have a stepped portion or a groove formed at the bottom surface of the plate 110 and a shape corresponding to a coupling surface of the respective shelf support frame 120.

Each shelf support frame 120 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the plate 110 using one or more coupling methods, such as a screw engagement method, or an adhesion method, for example. For example, a combination of a screw engagement method and an adhesion method selected from hot melt adhesion, UV adhesion, and adhesive tape adhesion, for example, may be used. For example, the UV adhesion method may be performed such that an ultraviolet (UV) adhesive is spread on the contact surface of the plate 110 or the shelf support frame 120, the plate 110 and the shelf support frame 120 are adhered to each other, and the adhesive is hardened by UV irradiation.

Hereinafter, plates arranged on a same plane according to an embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

The plurality of plates 110 may be mounted in the storage space 20. The plurality of plates 110 may be arranged in a vertical direction or arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction, or both. As top surfaces of the plates 110 arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction may lie on a same plane, a user may easily slide food or a food container loaded on one plate 110 sideways onto the other adjacent plate 110. Further, as no protruding portion is formed at a contact portion between the adjacent plates 110, a user may move food or a food container on one plate 110 sideways onto the other plate 110 without lifting the same.

In other words, in a case in which a first plate 110 a and a second plate 110 b of the plurality of plates 110 are arranged adjacent to each other on the same plane in a horizontal direction, as shown in the drawings, a user may conveniently slide food or a food container loaded on the first plate 110 a sideways onto the second plate 110 b. The top surfaces of the plates 110 a, 110 b may be positioned on the same plane by securing the shelf support frames 120 of the plates 110 a, 110 b to the securing recesses 84 located at a same height in the shelf brackets 80. In addition, the shelf support frames 120 that support the plates 110 a, 110 b from below may have coupling members 124 provided at opposing surfaces of the adjacent shelf support frames 120. Due to engagement of the coupling members 124, the adjacent plates 110 may be secured to each other and lie on the same plane.

The coupling members 124 may protrude from opposing surfaces of the adjacent shelf support frames 120. A protruding length of the coupling members 124 may correspond to a gap between the adjacent plates 110 arranged in a horizontal direction.

The coupling members 124 may be a plurality of protrusions configured to be engaged with each other. As shown in FIG. 4, a first protrusion 124 a may be formed at a lateral surface of a first shelf support frame 120 a of the plurality of shelf support frames, and a plurality of second protrusions 124 b may be formed at a lateral surface of a second shelf support frame 120 b of the plurality of shelf support frames. The second protrusions 124 b may be spaced vertically apart from each other by a predetermined gap corresponding to a thickness of the first protrusion 124 a, so that the first protrusion 124 a may be fitted in the gap between the second protrusions 124 b. The coupling members 124 may be engaged by the above-structured first protrusion 124 a and second protrusions 124 b.

Hereinafter, an operational effect of the above-described embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 6.

As described above, according to an embodiment, the top surfaces of the plates 110 a, 110 b arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction may lie on the same plane. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, a user may conveniently remove a food container B positioned at a rear portion of the first plate 110 a after sliding a food container A positioned in front of the food container B on the first plate 110 a onto the second plate 110 b arranged adjacent to the first plate 110 a on the same plane. At this time, the food container A may be prevented from falling off the storage space 20 by virtue of the front cover 130.

Further, according to an embodiment, as there is no frame surrounding the lateral surfaces of the first plate 110 a and the second plate 110 b, even when a food container C is positioned over or on both the first plate 110 a and the second plate 110 b, the food container C may be stably stored without tilting.

Accordingly, embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a refrigerator that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a refrigerator that enables a user to slide food or a food container loaded on one plate onto another adjacent plate arranged on a same plane. Embodiments disclosed herein further provide a refrigerator that can store more food or food containers in a limited storage space. Embodiments disclosed herein further provide a refrigerator that can ensure storage stability of food or a food container loaded on the plates without tilting.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a refrigerator that may include a storage space to store food or other items therein, a plurality of shelf brackets mounted to or at a rear portion of the storage space, and a plurality of securing recesses arranged in a vertical direction at the plurality of shelf brackets. The refrigerator may further include a plurality of plates provided in the storage space and arranged adjacent to each other on a same plane to load food or other items thereon, a plurality of shelf support frames provided at bottom surfaces of the plates, and hooks provided at the plurality of shelf support frames and configured to be engaged with the plurality of securing recesses. The refrigerator has characteristics such that food loaded on one of the plates can be slid onto the other plate arranged on the same plane.

Embodiments disclosed herein further provide a refrigerator that may include a first plate, on which food may be loaded, a second plate arranged adjacent to the first plate, and a front cover configured to cover a front surface of each of the plates. The refrigerator may further include a first shelf support frame provided at a bottom surface of the first plate, and a second shelf support frame provided at a bottom surface of the second plate. The refrigerator may further include coupling members provided at opposing surfaces of the first shelf support frame and the second shelf support frame to support adjacent surfaces of the first plate and the second plate, by which the first plate and the second plate may lie on the same plane.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the refrigerator according to embodiments, as a user may slide food or a food container loaded on one plate onto another adjacent plate arranged on the same plane, convenience in use is increased. Further, as there is no frame surrounding lateral surfaces of the shelves, the refrigerator according to embodiments may store more items in a limited storage space. Furthermore, as there is no frame surrounding lateral surfaces of the shelves, the refrigerator according to embodiments may ensure storage stability of food or a food container loaded on the shelves by preventing food or a food container from tilting by the frame protruding from the shelves.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation as claimed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope. Thus, it is intended that embodiments cover the modifications and variations provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator, comprising: a storage space to store food or other items therein; a plurality of shelf brackets mounted to or at a rear portion of the storage space; a plurality of securing recesses arranged in a vertical direction at the plurality of shelf brackets; a plurality of plates provided in the storage space and arranged adjacent to each other on a same plane to receive food or other items loaded thereon; a plurality of shelf support frames provided at bottom surfaces of the plurality of plates; and a plurality of hooks provided at the plurality of shelf support frames and configured to be engaged with the plurality of securing recesses, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames are coupled to the bottom surfaces of the plurality of plates without any frame that protrudes between the plurality of plates arranged adjacent to each other, such that food or other items loaded on one of the plurality of plates can be slid onto the other plate arranged on the same plane.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of plates are made of tempered glass.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a front cover configured to cover a front surface of each of the plurality of plates.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames is coupled to the bottom surfaces of the plurality of plates by a UV adhesion method.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames support the bottom surfaces of the plurality of plates while being spaced a predetermined distance apart from front ends of the plurality of plates.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: coupling members provided at opposing surfaces of the plurality of shelf support frames arranged adjacent to each other and configured to be engaged with each other.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the coupling members include a plurality of protrusions.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of protrusions comprises a first protrusion that extends from one of the plurality of shelf support frames, and a pair of protrusions that extends from an adjacent one of the plurality of shelf supports, wherein the first protrusion is configured to be received between the pair of second protrusions to be coupled thereto.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of shelf brackets comprises a slit, and wherein the plurality of securing recess are arranged in the vertical direction along the slit.
 10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein upper surfaces of the adjacent plates are flush with one another.
 11. A refrigerator, comprising: a storage space to store food or other items therein; a plurality of shelf brackets mounted to or at a rear portion of the storage space; first and second plates provided in the storage space and arranged adjacent to each other on a same plane to receive food or other items loaded thereon; a plurality of shelf support frames provided at bottom surfaces of the first and second plates and configured to be coupled to the plurality of shelf brackets, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames are coupled to the bottom surfaces of the first and second plates without any frame that protrudes between the first and second plates arranged adjacent to each other, such that food or other items loaded on one of the first and second plates can be slid onto the other of the first and second plates arranged on the same plane.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the first and second plates are made of tempered glass.
 13. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising: a front cover configured to cover a front surface of each of the first and second plates.
 14. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames is coupled to the bottom surfaces of the first and second plates by a UV adhesion method.
 15. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of shelf support frames support the bottom surfaces of the first and second plates while being spaced a predetermined distance apart from front ends of the first and second plates.
 16. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising: coupling members provided at opposing surfaces of the plurality of shelf support frames arranged adjacent to each other and configured to be engaged with each other.
 17. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the coupling members include a plurality of protrusions.
 18. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of protrusions comprises a first protrusion that extends from one of the plurality of shelf support frames, and a pair of protrusions that extends from an adjacent one of the plurality of shelf supports, wherein the first protrusion is configured to be received between the pair of second protrusions to be coupled thereto.
 19. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of shelf brackets comprises a slit, and wherein the plurality of securing recess are arranged in the vertical direction along the slit, and wherein each of the plurality of shelf support frames comprises a hook configured to be coupled to a respective one of plurality of securing recess.
 20. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein upper surfaces of the first and second plates are flush with one another. 